So who's in line to pay A-Rod?

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Photo: JOHN SOMMERS II

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New York Yankees manager Joe Torre (L) and Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez watch from the dugout in seventh inning of Game 1 of their MLB American League Division Series playoff baseball game against the Cleveland Indians in Cleveland, October 4, 2007. REUTERS/John Sommers II (UNITED STATES)
Ran on: 10-05-2007
The Yankees' Joe Torre (left) and Alex Rodriguez take in the 12-3 beating their team took at the hands of the Indians, who hit four homers in the playoff series opener. Colorado, meanwhile, got a grand slam from Kaz Matsui and took a 2-0 series lead with another win in Philadelphia. D7 less

New York Yankees manager Joe Torre (L) and Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez watch from the dugout in seventh inning of Game 1 of their MLB American League Division Series playoff baseball game against the ... more

Photo: JOHN SOMMERS II

So who's in line to pay A-Rod?

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Mix a weak-minded narcissist with a conniving, slime-covered agent and you get Sunday night at the World Series: a shameful bit of upstaging that not only exposed the true colors of Alex Rodriguez and Scott Boras, but actually damaged their cause.

There wasn't a person in baseball who wasn't disgusted by Boras' decision to send e-mails, to certain reporters, announcing A-Rod's intention to opt out of his contract with the Yankees. The news spread fast, all the way to Fox's Ken Rosenthal, who informed a national TV audience during the eighth inning of Boston's title-clinching victory.

The news was titillating, no argument there. Given the Yankees' adamantly stated decision to immediately cut ties with A-Rod, the discussion began in earnest: Who's going to sign this guy? He's the logical heir to Barry Bonds' home run record and his 54-homer, 156-RBI season stirred Yankee memories of Ruth, Gehrig and Mantle. Sounds like a hot-stove topic for the ages.

Except it wasn't about baseball at all. In placing themselves above the game, and on a day that should have belonged strictly to the Red Sox, Rodriguez and Boras had everyone wondering why the hell any team would spend $30 million a year on a phony, a prima donna and a man likely to place his own instincts behind Boras' desire to find the most money. (Great comment from an incensed Peter Gammons on ESPN: "He's never played in a World Series. Maybe there's a reason.")

People blamed A-Rod for the shameless timing; after all, he could have told Boras to back off. The problem is, Rodriguez doesn't have a mind of his own - not when it really counts. He let Boras talk him into signing with the Texas Rangers, and a life in baseball's cellar, because owner Tom Hicks was insane enough to fork out $252 million. As talented as he is - without question, he's among the top five or six most gifted athletes ever to play the game - Rodriguez doesn't trust himself when the lights shine brightest. He gets all sensitive and introspective, filled with self-doubt.

That might sound harsh, but there's no other way to explain A-Rod's postseason performances. You probably know about his 4-for-47 slump and his streak of 14 games without an RBI, but this is the most telling stat: Since Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS - the night Boston began its epic comeback from three games down against the Yankees - Rodriguez has come to the plate with 38 runners on base, over the span of 59 at-bats. He left every single one on base, going 0-for-27, right through the Yanks' Division Series loss to Cleveland this month.

Yo, Boras: Put that in your thousand-page pamphlet explaining A-Rod's value to a team. That's some damning, overwhelming evidence. Even Bonds, before his world-domination tour for the 2002 Giants, had a few moments in an otherwise bleak postseason resume.

The Yankees have made it abundantly clear that they're done with Rodriguez, so we'll take them at their word. Boras doesn't operate without a parachute, so we can assume he's lined up at least one franchise willing to pay A-Rod money. It's hard to imagine which one, though. The candidates:

Giants: A number of sources place Peter Magowan and Larry Baer right at the top of the list. Frightening, isn't it? Not that A-Rod wouldn't be a marvelous regular-season show, or a way to sustain the type of attendance required to make those stadium-debt payments. He's everything Magowan and Baer ever wanted, in their marketing-obsessed philosophy, and they apparently have the means.

Still, the Giants have been buffaloed once by Boras - just last year, with the obscene Barry Zito contract - and they have to give at least some thought to winning. A-Rod does nothing to get the Giants out of last place, largely because in that sorry lineup, he could break Bonds' records for intentional walks. The Giants need several players, not merely one. They need to restore a logical salary structure and make sure they have enough money to keep Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and other future prospects (if they exist) in a Giants uniform. More than anything, why would A-Rod sign with a second-rate club in a pitchers' ballpark?

Angels: It makes a lot of sense from a baseball standpoint. The Angels need a power hitter, the third-base job is wide open, A-Rod would make them a lock to win the AL West (perhaps for several years running), and he could continue torturing the American League pitchers he knows so well. Boras is based in Newport Beach, and there was an unsubstantiated report this week that Rodriguez has purchased a home in Orange County.

The whole idea, though, goes against the philosophy of owner Arte Moreno. He's not wild about paying someone twice as much as the heroic Vladimir Guerrero. Moreno doesn't want to upset Commissioner Bud Selig, furious over the prospect of Boras once again destroying the game's salary structure (and, as a result, raising ticket prices for the paying customers). Moreno should take a quick poll of manager Mike Scioscia and his players. If they're game, A-Rod is worth the gamble.

Dodgers: In a stadium full of short-order cooks who claim to be screenwriters, the not-quite-real Rodriguez would be perfect in L.A. The Dodgers could use a hammer in their publicity contests with the Angels. But it's hard to imagine cost-conscious owner Frank McCourt hanging out too long in the bidding, and if Joe Torre becomes the manager, as rumored, he'd just as soon iron out a serious clubhouse rift without A-Rod's presence. As the Yankees' manager, Torre knew enough of Rodriguez to bat him eighth (against Detroit) in a postseason game.

Mets: They were a collection of A-Rods down the stretch this year, choking their way right out of the playoffs. Surely, he's a tempting presence, and management has the finances, but the Mets need an infusion of youth and character, not a potential headache. It also would be crazy to move either David Wright or Jose Reyes - cornerstones of the franchise - off the left side of the infield.

White Sox: Nobody spots a phony more quickly, or with more venom, than manager Ozzie Guillen. General manager Kenny Williams also went on record as saying the White Sox can't afford A-Rod.

Cubs: Picture this: Mark Cuban lives out a dream by purchasing the Cubs - a desire he made quite public in recent months. He pulls the trigger on A-Rod, who plays shortstop for his favorite manager, Lou Piniella, with mainstay Aramis Ramirez holding down third. It's a nice fantasy, but it won't happen. The Cubs are for sale, new ownership might not be in place until spring, and as a friend and confidant of White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, Selig doesn't want some hotshot billionaire running the crosstown Cubs. Pathetic, but true.

Tigers: They have dealt with controversial Boras clients before - Pudge Rodriguez, Magglio Ordoñez, Kenny Rogers - and made it work. On the field, manager Jim Leyland can make just about anything work. With Edgar Renteria taking the shortstop job, A-Rod would replace Brandon Inge at third. Sounds feasible, but A-Rod might be turned off by spacious Comerica Park - and the Tigers aren't wild about such a drastic upheaval in their salary structure.

Red Sox: They wanted him badly in December 2003, when the players' union rejected an agreed-upon deal with the Rangers, but they don't need him now. They need to re-sign third baseman Mike Lowell, MVP of the World Series and a potential free agent, and stick with a roster that looks to be a powerhouse for years to come. The Boston fans don't want A-Rod, nor do many of the players, who have fought, feuded with or criticized him in the past.

Look at it this way: The season after their A-Rod deal fell through, the Red Sox won it all. Now they have two titles in four years. The message couldn't be more clear.